Waste collection policy

The standard service across the Borough for the collection of residual domestic waste and dry recycling from individual properties is an alternate weekly collection meaning a recycling collection will occur one week and residual waste the following week. The bin provision for this is:

• residual waste (waste which cannot be recycled)- Black 240 Litre wheeled bin
• dry recycling - Green 240 Litre wheeled bin

Where a property is provided with the standard service only, waste presented in wheeled bins provided by Great Yarmouth Borough Council will be collected.

Residual waste bin

Only waste produced by a householder on a normal day to day basis that cannot be recycled should be placed in this wheeled bin.  Waste which is also not permitted in the residual bin are:

• garden waste (the Council offers a separate service for this material)
• construction or demolition waste (general household DIY waste is acceptable)
• hazardous waste
• items which do not fully fit into the bin - this will be considered as "bulky waste", and the Council offers a separate service for this
• business waste unless this forms part of a trade waste collection contract with the Borough Council or GYS

Where such waste is found to be placed within the bin it shall be refused collection. Operatives will sticker or tag the bin to identify the reason for its refusal. Bins will not be collected on subsequent collections, until the offending material has been removed. In such cases the Council will not return to empty the bin until the next scheduled collection. It will be down to the householder to deal with any additional waste as a result of the non-collection or arrange an additional empty which would be chargeable.

Only residual waste placed inside the bin will be collected. Additional residual waste left outside or on top of the bin (sidewaste) will not be collected. Where such waste is left out on public land it will be considered as flytipping.

Over the Christmas period where collection dates may change and potentially exceed 14 days between residual collections, an exception will be made to the Council collecting sidewaste. For the residual collection following collection, the Council will collect an additional single bag of side waste where householder leave it on or next to their waste receptacle.

Recycling bin

The Borough Council operates a co-mingled recycling collection meaning a range of materials may be placed in the same bin which is subsequently manually and mechanically sorted at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and then sent on for onward processing.

Only materials which the MRF is able to sort and find end markets for, are accepted in the recycling bin.

Materials currently accepted are: 

• all materials must be placed in the recycling bin loose and not in plastic bags or any other container
• all materials must be clean, dry and empty
• only items listed above will be accepted in the bin. General, kitchen or garden waste is not permitted in the recycling bin
• business waste is not permitted in the recycling bin unless this forms part of a trade waste collection contract with the Borough Council or GYS
• excess recyclable materials will be collected if left next to the Recycling Bin loosely in a cardboard box
  • glass should be prioritised in being placed within the recycling bin rather than being left as side material to avoid issues around jars or bottles being smashed or broken
  • recyclable materials left out in bin bags or carrier bags will not be accepted.
  • cardboard not able to fit in the recycling bin may also be placed next to the bin for collection where it has been flattened and any other packaging such as plastic straps or polystyrene removed - cardboard which is significantly wet or saturated will not be collected, it is advisable for householders to only place out additional cardboard is drier weather conditions or just before collection occurs.

Contamination of the recycling bin

The Borough Council has an obligation to ensure that the recycling it collects is of standard to enable onward processing. General waste and unclean materials affect this quality and can also negatively affect the quality of other materials it is mixed with.

Consequently, recycling bins left out for collection will be deemed as "contaminated" for the following reasons:

• where the bin contains general waste including but not limited to food, garden, nappies or DIY waste
• where any other items not currently accepted by the service are placed in the bin
• where packaging is unclean e.g. bottles or containers still contains food or liquid or not been adequately washed out, cardboard which is greasy or substantially wet
• where the materials have been bagged - due to the method of processing recycling material is required to be loose in the bin

Refuse operatives will check recycling bins at the point of collection for any unacceptable material. Where a bin has been deemed contaminated, it will not be collected, and the bin will be stickered/tagged to identify this. The householder will receive a subsequent letter informing them of the refusal and what steps need to be taken. Bins will not be collected on subsequent collections until the offending material has been removed. In such cases the Council will not return to empty the bin until the next scheduled collection. Where a household is found to have contaminated a bin in subsequent collections within a 6-month period, a second letter will be generated highlighting there has been a repeat problem. If a third occurrence of contamination, then occurs within a further 6 months, the property will be visited by an Officer who will look to ascertain reasons for the ongoing misuse of the bin and provide education and guidance.

Following such a visit, where deemed necessary or appropriate, the Borough Council may remove the recycling bin and the household will not have access to this service. The householder will not be provided with additional residual capacity, and it will be down to the householder to manage with reduced capacity. Where a household has had their recycling facility removed if at a later date, they wish to re-instigate this service administration charges for the delivery of a replacement bin will be applicable.

It will be down to the householder to remove any offending material regarding a bin which has been refused as contaminated before collections recommence. Where bins are heavily contaminated householders are able to arrange an additional empty which would be chargeable.

General requirements for recycling and residual waste collections

• lids of bins must be closed
• bins must be of a manageable weight to be collected
  • overweight bins which operatives are unable to safely move will not be collected and will down to the householder to address
    • in such cases the Council will not return to empty the bin until the next scheduled collection and the bin will be refused if it is still overweight
    • it will be down to the householder to deal with any additional waste as a result of the non-collection or arrange an additional empty which would be chargeable
• for hygiene reasons it is advisable that residual waste is bagged when placed in the bin
• if a resident requires an additional empty of their bin between collections this will be a chargeable service
• where a resident moves into a property the Borough Council is not responsible for any issues found relating to the properties bins e.g missing, damaged, full or contaminated - in such cases standard charges would still be applicable for replacement bin(s) or additional emptying
• the Borough Council is not responsible for misuse of residents bins by other persons.
  • whilst the Council may investigate flytipping into a residents bin it is not responsible for the removal of any such waste or contamination - this would be down the householder whose bins have been mis-used
• collection of bins will not start before 6.30am
  • the Council will provide information available on their website about designated collections days though the Council cannot specify a collection time.
  • collection times may vary week to week
• one off changes to collection days due to public holidays will be advertised on the Councils website and advertised through social media
  • residents should expect changes to collection days over public holidays and check for these changes
  • collection days may be brought forward early or put back
  • the Council is not responsible for returning to collect bins where a resident was not aware their collection day had changed
• for operational purposes, it may be necessary to change the designated collection day on a more permanent basis - in these instances, residents will be informed of these changes in writing
• the Borough Council operates a kerbside collection meaning bins will be picked up from adjacent to the public highway
  • bins must be presented for collection at the front curtilage of the residents property close to the road unless otherwise directed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council or Great Yarmouth Service
• in some cases, collections may occur from a communal collection point - such collection points will be within a reasonable distance from the property using them
  • the Council will endeavour to find a suitable collection point within 25m of any properties using them - this will however be subject to vehicular access to collect the bins and an appropriate area where bins can be communally located without causing obstruction whilst awaiting collection
• where residents present their bin on a public footpath or verge, they should be placed in a manner not to cause an obstruction to other users
• bins may be placed out after 6.00pm on the proceeding night of collection and should be placed out prior to collection taking place - it is advisable to place bins out by 6.30am to ensure they are out in time for collection
• following collection, bins should be taken back onto residents properties at the earliest opportunity with an expectation that this should be done on the same day that collection has taken place
• so that bins can be returned to the correct address and are identifiable as to whose they are, residents should mark up their bins with their house name or number.